Senior Specialist, Government Affairs

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves?

In this position...

We're looking for a highly organized, detail-oriented, and experienced Senior Specialist to join our Government Affairs team in Washington, D.C.  This role is absolutely central to supporting our policy development and communications efforts, managing our political engagement activities, ensuring strict compliance with lobbying and campaign finance laws, and coordinating high-level executive and external events.

What you'll do...

• Working as a Senior Specialist in this role, you would be responsible for a variety of critical tasks, including:
• Stakeholder Communications: Develop content and manage recipient lists for email communications directed towards Capitol Hill using BGov. Draft and publish items for internal company communications platforms.  You'll also attend and support weekly policy communications meetings.
• Policy Support Functions: Provide essential support across various policy coordination initiatives.  This includes contributing to the development and updates of key policy documents, drafting, editing, and categorizing items for weekly reports, and coordinating the Government Affairs submission to monthly business review meetings.  You'll also help maintain the official protocols and formatting standards for formal communications directed towards Congress and the Administration.
• Senior Executive Visit Support: Provide crucial logistical support for visits and meetings involving senior executives.  This involves scheduling, liaising with executive support staff, coordinating logistics such as meals, drivers, and route planning, and preparing comprehensive briefing materials for these engagements.
• Federal PAC Management: Take the lead on managing our federal Political Action Committee (PAC).  This involves overseeing the budget, executing donation strategies and act as a primary liaison with fundraisers.  You'll also be involved in planning company-sponsored or industry-hosted events and handling all the necessary reporting and compliance for the PAC.
• Federal Affairs Support: As needed, support direct lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill concerning various policy issues (such as Right to Repair).  You’ll also attend relevant industry committee meetings.
• Lobbying Disclosure Act Compliance: Serve as the main point person for ensuring our compliance with the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA). This includes leading the quarterly LD-2 reporting process (covering lobbying issues, adding/removing federal lobbyists, and managing reports from external consultants) and the LD-203 reporting process (tracking individual and company PAC contributions).
• Policy Polling & Analysis: Lead the Government Affairs team's contribution to monthly consumer pulse surveys (like the Morning Consult survey mentioned). This involves collaborating with our policy teams to research and develop relevant questions, analyzing the survey results, and preparing reports for Government Affairs leadership and senior management business reviews.
• Annual Political Engagement Reporting: Work closely with colleagues to gather all necessary information, draft, format, and publish our annual report on corporate political activity. This report is designed to meet the extensive requirements of assessments like the CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Accountability, which is a key indicator in the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) space.  You'll also coordinate with the team working on the company's broader annual Integrated Sustainability Report.  (The report has achieved the 'Trendsetter' designation, the highest level, in recent years)
• Executive Meeting Support: Attend and take detailed notes for executive policy function meetings, including the monthly policy meetings.
• Event Support: Serve as the primary Government Affairs coordinator for events held in the Washington D.C. area.  This is a broad category covering planning and executing ride and drives, coordinating larger events like the EV showcase, and managing policy-focused activities during auto show policy days.
• Congressional Constituent Inquiry Response:  Act as the chief contact point with the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for constituent issues related to the company. You'll assess incoming requests and efficiently assign them to the appropriate internal customer service or dealer relations staff for resolution.

You'll have...